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Mr. Bass: Local teen says he has bigger fish to fry

Michael Bodsberg, 14, was dubbed Mr. Bass 2008 for catching the most pounds of fish during the New Richmond Bassmasters competition. Photo by Jackie Grumish

When you ask Michael Bodsberg, 14, whether he likes fishing, his answer is simple.

"Big time."

That passion is probably why he landed the Mr. Bass 2008 title, which he was dubbed by the Indianhead Bassers of New Richmond.

Bodsberg shrugs off his title, mostly because it was the first competition and he was setting the bar for future competitions. Although there were no records for Bodsberg to beat, his results were impressive compared to the other anglers.

The bassmasters competition consisted of four tournaments that lasted four hours each.

During that time, Bodsberg caught eight fish totaling 16 pounds. He doesn't think that's very impressive; however, the second place angler caught only three fish weighing 8.24 pounds.

The best part of the competition was qualifying for the state tournament, he said.

The state tournament, where Bodsberg took second place, was held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, he said.

It was the best fishing experience he's had so far.

"There's a lot of good competition down there," he said. "You have to know how to fish."

The competition wasn't the only good thing about state, he said,

"There was a lot of backwater," he said. "It was a lot better than the lakes around here."

Most summer days Bodsberg can be found on Squaw Lake with his dad.

"We're out quite a bit," he said.

"Quite a bit" amounts to once a weekend and a few times during the week, said Trisha Bodsberg, Michael's mom.

"Fishing is a chance to get everything cleared off your mind and just have fun," he said.

The Bassmaster competition was held at St. Croix River, Bass Lake, Big Lake and Squaw Lake.

Jackie Grumish has been a reporter with the New Richmond News since 2008. She holds degrees in journalism and fine art from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. Before coming to New Richmond, Jackie worked as the city government reporter at a daily newspaper in Aberdeen, S.D.